Lactol-regulated silyloxy-Cope rearrangement and its application to the total synthesis of dictymal, an aldehyde possessing an iridoid dimeric structure

Dictymal, a congener of epoxydictymene isolated from a brown alga, Dictyota dichotoma has been totally synthesized via a lactol-regulated oxy-Cope rearrangement of an appropriately designed dimer obtained from two C10-synthons (iridoids).